


Following the Siren Song

by GloamingMage



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Action & Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Pirates, Slavery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-02-01 03:17:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21353371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GloamingMage/pseuds/GloamingMage
Summary: Seeking a treasure lost to time, the pirates of the Poltergeist kidnap a prince, bully him into communing with the Dark Gods, and set off on an adventure across the sea. What's that? The real treasure is the friends we made along the way? Fuck that, there had better be some actual treasure in this story.
Relationships: John Egbert/Dave Strider
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Following the Siren Song

**Author's Note:**

> Nanowrimo 2019! This may or may not reach 50,000 words, but my goal is to work on it every day. The outline says Dirk/John/Dave and Eridan/Jake. Tags will be added with future updates.

John had to hand it to the Dersites; they fought until the very end. It was only by cheating that The Poltergeist was victorious, as was often the case. But victorious they were, leaving John and his band of pirate scum in control of the Dersite ship. As Vriska maintained control of the upper deck, John led an expedition further into the ship, seeking the treasure these soldiers were guarding. Their prize was on the other side of a richly carved door flanked by Dersite warriors. Their ornate armor and embroidered tabards marked them as Derse’s best. Their swords were drawn, and one aimed an elegant rifle at the pirates as they approached. It seemed the fight wasn’t over yet.

The marksman never got a chance to fire. Jade, on John’s right, was quicker, and she didn’t miss. The soldier dropped, and the other two sprang forward, swords flashing through the air. From John’s left, Dave darted forward, crossing his sword with one soldier’s, and John ducked nimbly under the second. He leaped back up, slinging his warhammer into his hands and sending it into a brutal swing. He heard a sickening crack and felt bone give beneath the force of his blow. The beautiful wooden door was the next to feel John’s hammer. The pirates made their way through the open archway to take their treasure. 

The prince of Derse leaped on them like a bat out of hell. Dave’s admirable reflexes spared John a swift decapitation, and the clash of steel rang throughout the opulent suite. The two men were quick as shadows, quick enough that John and Jade didn’t dare intervene; it would be disastrous if they inadvertently harmed their treasure or their friend. It didn’t matter, in the end. Dave knocked the prince’s sword out of his hand, then kicked his legs out from under him. Air rushed out of the prince as his back hit the ground. He stared down the line of Dave’s sword, its point hovering dangerously near his throat.

They looked alike, strangely enough. They had the same black skin, the same arched nose, the same curls. But where Dave was stoic, his features a perfect poker face, the prince’s eyes were stretched wide and shining with an emotion John couldn’t place. “Dave?” he said, like he was speaking to a ghost. 

Dave didn’t respond. Jade hauled the prince to his feet, twisted his arms behind his back, bound them in place. He didn’t speak, but his eyes followed Dave, who was decidedly avoiding him. It seemed John needed to have a word with his favorite cabin boy. That would have to wait, however. He had just nabbed the most valuable treasure he’d ever gotten his hands on, and they needed to amscray before the Dersite navy realized what they had done. John took one arm and Jade took the other, and the two of them marched the prince back to the upper deck. Dave followed, disturbingly quiet. He always got this way when blood was spilled, but John was sure he’d be back to normal before too long.

Dave was quiet when John first found him, naked and chained to an auction block in a pirate haven. John had got him because he was pretty and pitiful; he never expected that a bit of kindness would cause Dave to open up like a blossom on a sunny day. He was a free man now, but he stayed on nevertheless, which John treasured as he much as he treasured the prince he had just stolen.

A cheer rose up from the pirate crew as they emerged onto the upper deck. John gave them a wild-eyed grin, pointing gleefully at the sneering prince in his grasp. Most who would have liked to get a closer look were busy keeping the defeated Dersites at bay, but one pirate approached. Rose was small in stature but had a way of commanding attention. Her white curls were tangled by the wind and covered her eyes, but she didn’t need them to get a good look at their precious prisoner. “That’s him,” she said, her voice carrying a poorly-disguised note of excitement. “This is our key to the Green Sun.”

John’s voice was carried on the breeze as he shouted orders to his crew. They yoinked whatever valuables they could carry (no time for a proper looting, not today) and retreated to the Poltergeist, prince in tow. Half the crew turned their attention toward fleeing the scene as swiftly as the wind could take them. John, Rose, and Dave dealt with the prince. They forced him to his knees on the upper deck, the sun beating down on his neck. He refused to hang his head, instead keeping his fiery gaze fixed on John. Dave’s sword at his throat kept him from trying anything brave, although of course Dave was bluffing. He had only agreed to this gambit on the promise that the prince would not be harmed. 

“First things first,” John said, clapping his hands together. “Dave, is there something you need to tell us?”

“Clearly we’ve got a prince and the pauper situation goin’ on,” Dave said. “I bet I could switch places with him, head back to Derse, throw the navy off our trail. Just kidding, I’m not going to do that because Derse is super shitty and I’d be a terrible prince and I’d definitely get caught immediately and tortured in horrible ways, but don’t worry, I ain’t no snitch. There won’t be much of me left to bury but can you have a funeral for me anyway?”

“Yeah, that sure was a thing you just said!” John said. “What’s really going on?”

“This is my brother, Dirk,” Dave said, his voice strained in a way that meant the truth was spilling out of his mouth entirely against his will. “Haven’t seen him a while. Been busy getting kidnapped and doing pirate shit, you know how it goes.”

“So, for the sake of perfect clarity,” Rose said. “The prince of Derse who mysteriously vanished several years ago is now a cabin boy in the service of a pirate crew that is about to rocket to the top of Derse’s shit list?”

“Yeah, got it in one. Good job.”

“Wild!” John said. 

“Wait just a second!” The interloper was a lady with one eye, one arm, and a mess of red hair. Vriska jabbed her hook at Dave’s chest, getting up in his face—a remarkable achievement for someone who was half his size.”Why can’t this dweeb lead us to the Green Sun?”

“She has a point,” said John. “Dave, why didn’t you bring this up before?”

“I can’t lead you to shit,” Dave said. “The Dark Gods and I aren’t exactly on speakin’ terms.”

“I told you,” said Rose. “The key to the Green Sun is the Crown Prince of Derse.”

All eyes turned back to the kneeling, silent prince. His eyes studied each of the pirates in turn, lingering on Dave. Finally he spoke. “I can’t lead you to the Green Sun when I don’t know what it is.”

“Don’t be silly,” Rose said. “No one knows what it is, save for the Dark Gods. They’ve agreed to speak with you about its location.” 

“That’s going to be difficult,” Dirk said. “Considering I’ve agreed to do no such thing.”

“We thought that was what you’d say,” Vriska said. “So let me put it this way.” She grabbed Dave’s wrist and yanked. Dave dropped his sword rather than cut Dirk’s throat on accident. He fought back as Vriska tried to pin him, at least until John called his name. Only then did he go still, allowing Vriska to twist his arm behind his back and hold her hook to his throat. “Finally he’ll be good for something! Do as we say or the backup prince gets it!”

“What do you mean I haven’t been good for shit,” Dave said. “How many years have I been givin’ y’all free eye candy and a running commentary on everything that wanders into my line of sight? Don’t tell me you’ve let my beauty and charm go unappreciated. John? John you wouldn’t let Vriska kill me would you?”

John didn’t answer right away. He appeared to be thinking things over very carefully. He was not. Of course he wouldn’t let Dave die! But Dirk didn’t know that. John wondered how much Dirk loved his brother. How much he would be willing to give up.

Dave hadn’t stopped talking. “John? John, my good bro. My main squeeze. My very best pal who’s definitely not gonna murder me. That’s you, ain’t it? C’mon dude I don’t want to be killed by Vriska. Vriska!”

“This is bullshit,” Dirk snapped. Wild-eyed rage shone through the cracks of his stony exterior. “What kind of captain kills his own crew? You’re going to wind up stranded on the open ocean or stabbed in the back by crazy cyclops bitch and you’ll fucking deserve it.”

“Hey bro maybe don’t provoke her while she holds my tender youthful life in her hook,” Dave said. 

John laughed, and laughed, letting his little outburst stretch on longer than was comfortable for him or anyone listening. Eventually he settled down, wiping a fake tear from his eye. A wide grin split his face, and neither man blinked as he looked the prince dead in the eye. “I’m the kind of captain that’s gonna buy a thousand Daves once I have the Green Sun.”

John had a front row seat to the horror and hate that crept into Dirk’s expression. As lovely as that view was, he tore his eyes away to look at Rose, who watched the scene unfold with a characteristic knowing smirk. She dipped her head in a subtle nod. John turned his grin toward Vriska and drew his thumb across his neck.

Dave sucked in a sharp breath as Vriska’s grip on him tightened. To his credit, he didn’t scream or beg, even though John didn’t need to look him in the eye to know that he was terrified.

“Don’t!” Dirk’s outburst was predictable as the rising sun. He tried to leap to his feet, but John grabbed him by the scruff like an unruly kitten and forced him back down. Dirk’s eyes were locked on the point of Vriska’s hook where it threatened to rip out Dave’s throat. Defeated, he turned his gaze to the ragged wooden deck. “Don’t harm him. I’ll do as you say.”

The air rushed out of Dave like he had been punched in the gut. He had wondered if his most recent breath would be his last. He should have known that John rarely lost a gamble, and in fact this was hardly a gamble at all. John ruffled the prince’s hair, making Dirk’s face twist up like it was only his princely dignity that kept him from biting. “Attaboy,” John said. “Rose can get you in with the Dark Gods. Let Jade know when you have a course for us. Vriska, you can let Dave go now.”

Dave began to wriggle and thrash until Vriska shoved him away. He paused, straightened out his clothes, then stooped to pick up his discarded sword. John and Vriska wandered off, arm and arm, to prepare for the voyage ahead.

Rose lowered herself to one knee, not out of deference, but so that Dirk could witness the full force of her smug smile up close. “On your feet, Your Highness. We have an engagement with the unspeakable horrors that dwell beneath this mortal plane.” She didn’t help him up.

Dirk did not resist as Rose led him into the depths of the ship. Perhaps he feared a tangle with a dangerous witch. Perhaps he knew that Dave’s life would be on the line if he tried anything too brave. Either way, he followed after Rose like a devoted hound, although the glower affixed on his face made it clear how low he considered the pirates who held him captive. 

Rose led him into a cramped chamber at the lowest point of the ship. The pressure of the ocean around them made the wood creak, such that Dirk half expected that the ship would collapse at any second, crushed in the water’s grasp. Rose betrayed no such concerns. In fact, she was trying and failing to hide her excitement. She bustled around the little room, clearing her belongings—half-knitted clothes, scattered notes, tomes with the dust carefully brushed away—off the floor and piling them onto a loft bed. She rolled up an ancient woven rug, revealing an intricate magic circle etched into the floor. Dirk could not read the language looping in stylized letters around arcane symbols, but he recognized it. He had watched his elder brother commune with the Dark Gods, had heard their whispers at the edges of his hearing. This was their language, deadly to any mortal save for those they had anointed. 

Rose picked up a curved knife with pearl inlay on the handle. Dirk took a step back, carefully hiding his alarm. His hands were bound, but he could still fight if she tried to slit his throat. But of course that wasn’t the plan. These pirates needed him alive. It shouldn’t have been such a surprise when Rose slipped behind him and sliced through his bonds. Dirk flexed his fingers, trying to work the stiffness out of them. Rose took his hand in hers and tugged him along like a hound on a leash. 

“Have you participated in this ritual before?” Rose said. 

“No,” Dirk said truthfully. “I’ve only ever observed.”

“I see. Well rest assured that the magic is not complex, but it is also not easy. The Dark Gods do not partake in polite teatime chats.”

“So I’ve heard,” Dirk said. “My life would be far easier if they minded their manners.”

That got a laugh out of Rose, a subtle but unmistakable giggle. “Quite,” she said. “Let us begin.”

Rose slipped into a trance like she had taken a hit of stardust and plunged headfirst off of the mortal plane. Her eyes rolled back, and Dirk knew that she was peering into an abyss that could be comprehended only by the most clever and reckless of seers. Rose grabbed his wrist in an iron grip, and he sank along with her.

The room around them did not change, but Dirk could no longer hear the wash of waves or the chatter of pirates from the upper decks. They were no longer on The Poltergeist, but they were not alone. Dirk could feel the presence of watchful eyes like icy breath on the back of his neck. He snapped his head to the side, and caught a glimpse of retreating shadows. They didn’t want to be seen, but this was not out of fear. Perhaps looking directly at them would cause Dirk’s brain to melt out his ears. Perhaps the Dark Gods were more polite than Dirk gave them credit for. 

Or not. Inky black tendrils rose up out of the magic circle, twisting around Dirk’s ankles. He recoiled, and it was only their grip that kept him from falling flat on his ass. They wound up his thighs, coiled around his wrists. Dirk felt as if the air was being squeezed out of him, as if at any moment they might yank him through the ground and into whatever endless pit they dwelled within. He didn’t realize he was writhing in a panic until Rose hand settled on his cheek, her fingernails digging into his skin. His gaze was ensnared by her eyes, her irises shining like newborn stars, her pupils black as singularities. “Hush,” she said. “They will not harm their chosen prince.”

Dirk had no choice but to believe her. He let out a shaky breath. His knees buckled beneath him, and he surrendered to the Dark Gods’ grasp. Whispers in a language older than time slipped into Dirk’s ears and twisted around his thoughts. He couldn’t understand what was being said, and he struggled not to feel like he was an offering to be bargained for. Rose responded in the same language, and Dirk did his best to settle his racing heartbeat. Rose spoke quickly, loudly, not with the voice of a worshiper pleading for a blessing, but rather as a witch weaving the threads of reality to her own ends. As Rose and the Gods conversed, Dirk wondered if he was witnessing an argument or an energetic dance designed to beguile any who looked upon it. Finally, Rose said, “They wish to negotiate with you alone. Call for me and I will end the trance. Don’t fuck this up. Tendrils would around Rose and dragged her away. Dirk was not alone. 

The whispers grew louder, rasping against the grain of his hearing. He felt that if he could understand them, the knowledge they spoke of would be too vast for his mind to contain. He would die swiftly and painfully, his eyes staring sightlessly into the void. Would Dave miss him? 

Then, comprehension. It came slowly, but inevitably. The Dark Gods had chosen him, and they had ever willed that he would one day commune with them. Little by little, he was granted knowledge of their language, until finally a multitude of thoughts coalesced into one sentence. _You seek a treasure lost to time,_ they said.

“I am compelled to do so,” Dirk said, his tongue twisting around the otherwordly speech. 

_How can a prince of Derse be compelled?_

Would the Gods chastise him for his weakness? Or would they be offended if he lied? Perhaps there was another option, one that Dirk was only beginning to wrap his mind around. He decided that honesty was his best gamble. “The pirates have someone I love. They’ll kill him if they suspect I am not cooperating.”

_Are you cooperating? _

Dirk’s first thought was of Rose and the way she smiled, as if there was no secret she didn’t already know. But of course that couldn’t be true. She couldn’t find the Green Sun. The Dark Gods had chosen their emissary, and it was not her. “No,” he said. “I have a better idea.”

Hours or years later, Dirk was deposited unceremoniously on his hands and knees in the arcane circle. A callused hand cupped his chin, tilted his head back. He met Rose’s gaze without flinching, daring her to accuse him of failure. She did no such thing, but rather helped Dirk to his feet. Together the two of them made their way to the upper deck. The winds dragged at their hair and clothes as the Poltergeist raced away from Derse, but not towards the Green Sun. Not yet. Rose led Dirk to the helm where John awaited them, an eager smile setting his eyes alight. 

Dirk did not have to fake a sneer. “You’ll pay for this,” he promised. He rarely ever told a lie.

John waved as if shooing away a fly. “Yes yes, I’m sure you’ll have be beheaded. But first you’re going to lead me to the Green Sun. Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

“The Dark Gods have spoken to him,” Rose said.

Dirk nodded, cold as the wind over the waters. “I’ll show you the way.” 


End file.
